Ultrasonic inspection device



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SEARCH @M Feb 2, i954 H. E. VAN VALKENBURG 2,667,780

ULTRASONIC INSPECTION DEVICE Filed July 26, 1951 mml/ INVEN TOR. HOWARD E. VAN VALKENBURG ATTORNEY.

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Patented Feb. 2, 1954 ULTRASONIC INSPECTION DEVICE Howard E. Van Valkenburg, Danbury, Conn., as-

slgnor to Sperry Products, Inc., Danbury, Conn., a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1951, Serial No. 238,667

1 Claim.

This invention relates to ultrasonic inspection devices, and particularly to those devices in which ultrasonic beams are transmitted into an object under test at an angle to the entering surface. The test depends upon the beam entering the object, travelling through the object until it strikes a reflecting surface (which may be the end Wall of the object or a defect such as a fissure) and being reflected back to the point of transmission. Such testing presupposes good coupling between the search unit which generates the vibrations and the object under test. The mere failure to receive back reflections is not an indication of poor coupling because such failure may be due to other causes such as:

a. There may be no abrupt discontinuity, as in the case of a large round cylinder.

b. The object under test may be too long to permit reception of a reflection within the repetition rate or oscilloscope sweep length, as in the caseof a l-foot rail.

c. The material may be too absorptive to allow the beam to penetrate the entire length of the object.

d. The contour of the object may be *a crosssection that results in dispersal of the beam before it can be reflected from the end of the object.

It is therefore very necessary to be able to determine whether the ultrasonic beam is actually entering the object under test, i. e., whether there is good coupling between the search unit and the object to permit effective transmission and reception of the ultrasonic beam.

It is the prinpipalobiectwof this invention to provide means which will give an indication at all times, and practically instantaneously, of the adequacy of e coupling pgtgvgenrinmultrasonic Search/unit and..the..-object.11nder inspection.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

The accompanying drawing is a wiring diagram in combination with a search unit which is shown in side elevation applied to an object under test.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a search unit comprising a support |0 applied to an object which is to be internally inspected. For this purpose the support has a surface |2 in engagement with a surface I5 of the object through a suitable couplant. In order that the length of the object may be inspected, an ultrasonic beam is caused to enter the object at an angle so that after refraction it will travel sub- -stantially lengthwise of the object as shown at 2|. To permit such transmission at any desired angle, the support I0 is provided with an inclined surface 22 upon which a piezo-electric crystal 23 may be mounted. The crystal may be energized from any suitable source of high frequency electric vibrations, such as pulse generator 30, and will transform the electrical oscillations into mechanical oscillations. The pulse generator 30 may be periodically energized by a synchronizer 3| which may be energized from a suitable source such as cycle A. C'. The synchronizer may also energize a sweep circuit 32 which controls the sweep between horizontal electrodes 33 of an oscilloscope 34. The crystal 23 may be connec'ted through an amplifier 35 to the vertical plates 36 of the oscilloscope to cause vertical deflection of the sweep in response to signal voltages on crystal 23. The oscilloscope will therefore show the transmitted signal voltage at 40, and any reflections returning to the crystal will generate voltages to cause indications such as 4| and 42 which may be an intermediate defect and the limiting surface of the object, respectively.

However, as stated in the introduction hereto, failure to receive indications 4| and 42 does not in itself indicate loss of coupling since there are many reasons, such as those hereinbefore enumerated, for failure to receive indications. In order that an operator may be kept continuously informed of the state of coupling between search unit and object, I provide a ,secondhrystal 50 engaging a surface 5| of support l0. Surface l 5| is substantially parallel to surface l5 so that a checkngbeamgewill be transmitted into the Object SuliellilallrnQrmallntasurface..I 5. The crystal 50 is so positioned that beam 60 enters object |5 through substantially the same contact area as beam 20, but beam 60 not being an angle beam and not traversing long distances must necessarily be returned to crystal 50 if the coupling between surface 2 of the support and surface I5 of the object is adequate in the area traversed by beams y20 and 60. Therefore the continuous indication of the reception of the refle e. emfieleniings inguation thatb'am"2||i"s'"adquately coupled to the b-ew---- .Mmm........,

To achieve the foregoing object, I cause beam 60 to be transmitted repeatedly and alternately vi'th beam 20, with a considerable delabtwen tle transmission'of'thebeam B0 as related to the propagation time of beam 20 through the object. Thus, for example, beam 60 may be started 8,000

microseconds (corresponding to about 160 feet of beam travel in steel) after beam 20 is started. Beam 60 may be generated by energizing crystal 50 from a pulse generator 10. The latter may be energized periodically by synchronizer 3I which energizes pulse generator 30, but a delay mechanism 1I is interposed between tlm'li'hz'er and pulse generator 10 towallgw VYthe beam` Zittoi disappear. The synchronizer may energize sweep circuit 12 after the same delay 1I, to generate a sweep between the horizontal plates 13 of an oscilloscope 14. The crystal 50 may be connected to the vertical plates 16 through an arnplier 15. The generated pulse Will be indicated at 11 and the reflected pulse from back surface I6 of object I I will be indicated at Twtliewcoupiingisgood. The reflection fri'mthnterface formed by surfaces I2 and I5 Will be indicated at 19. A screen 80 having an opening 8| lawn provided," the screen being so formed as to Q]gswgurenidicati-ons 11 and 19 but shyvmindication l1li if such'indication appears." hSince the pulse 60 is transmitted L at least sixty times a second, indication 18 will appear as a fixed light spot throughout the period of pulse generation provided there is adequate coupling between the Search unit and object II to permit beam 60 to traverse the inter-` face I2, I and be reflected from surface II.` If the coupling ishpoor, ,thelight .spot v.18 will.. disappear. Such disappearance may be caused to attuate a1 1...su tab1e Signal. ganarmas.,System:

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ject, said object having a relatively long dimension and a relatively short dimension, comprising a search unit including a Support having a surface adapted to engage the object, said support having a second surface disposed at an angle to normal with respect to said rst surface, an electro-acoustic transducer engaging said inclined surface, means for periodically energizing said transducer to produce ultrasonic pulses, said inclined surface being so positioned that said pulses are transmitted into the object in the direction of the long dimension, means for receiving reflections of said pulses, means for indicating the received reiiections of said pulses, said support having a third surface, a second electroacoustic transducer engaging said third surface, means for periodically energizing said second transducer to produce pulses alternating with said rst pulses, said third surface being positioned so that pulses from said second transducer are transmitted to the said area of the surface of the object and into the object in the direction of the short dimension to test the adequacy of coupling between the Search unit and the object, means for receiving reections of said second pulses, and means for indicating the received reilections of the second pulses, the receipt or non-receipt of reflections of said second pulses indicating adequate or inadequate coupling, respectively.

HOWARD E. VAN VALKENBURG.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,527,986 Carlin Oct. 31, 1950 2,592,134 Firestone Apr. 8, 1952 

